Butt of the Joke

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We finished working last night around 8:00, and though I was exhausted, I hightailed it over to Ben's show. When I got there, I scanned the crowd and found Ursula sitting at a front table with Ben Sr. and Amy. A female comic was onstage, and she had just said something that had the audience roaring with laughter. I made my way over, mouthed and mimed my hellos, and settled into my seat as quickly and as quietly as possible.

I told her my name, and when she asked me where I was coming from, I said work. I answered her next question as simply as possible: I work in film. This set off a litany of jokes about my working in the porn industry, anal sex, and whether or not I thought Boogie Nights was an accurate depiction of my life as a professional sex worker. I was too tired to be a good sport or offer a witty retort, so I just answered her in monosyllables, hoping she'd get bored and leave me alone.

As it turned out, she was the emcee, so instead of being her target for a 7-minute set, I became her go-to punch line for the remainder of the evening. Ben Sr., Amy, and Ursula's looks of sympathy only made me feel more humiliated. Finally, Ben took the stage. Ben Sr. squeezed Amy's hand and gave her an expectant smile, which momentarily softened me.

As soon as Ben started speaking, I could tell he was having an off night. His pacing was off, his jokes were inconsistent, and the laughs from the audience were lackluster. He had been worried about performing in front of his father, and it showed. The PG-13 version of his act just didn't work. My heart broke a little bit for him.

When the show ended, I got up and hovered by the back door. After a few minutes, Ben walked out with the awful emcee. She was laughing too loudly at something he'd said. He broke away and gave me a quick hug and kiss on the cheek.

"I think you two met already," Ben said, looking at me like he wasn't sure how I was going to respond. "Dani, this is my girlfriend, K."

"Ohhhh," she said, "I didn't really you were Benny's girlfriend. I'm soooo sorry." I bristled first at her use of "Benny", and second at how disingenuous her apology was.

"No problem," I said brightly. "It's comedy."

Dani said she was going to the bar, and asked Ben if he wanted anything. He declined. When she was out of earshot, he pulled me close.

"That's something, I suppose. Thanks for not lying and telling me I was great."

"Well, you are great. You just had an off night. Plus, I'm sure Dani already told you that you were great."

"She did."

I escorted Ben back to the table. Ben Sr. and Amy showered him with compliments, which he took graciously. Ursula gave him a sympathetic look when they weren't paying attention, and he gave her a smile of gratitude.

I had to get back to work in the morning, so I headed home after the show, with promises that I'd try to make dinner the next night. Here's hoping for a miracle.